LOS ANGELES — Although the Los Angeles Kings are just one game beyond the halfway point in their season and a lot of hockey is left to be played, they are in deep, deep trouble.

Despite a strong start to their season and a 9-3-0 run in December, the Kings have had a stretch in November when they lost seven out of eight games, and they are currently mired in a slump in which they have lost six of their last seven, with no end to their nose dive in sight.

Their November slide was caused, in part, due to injuries to defenseman Willie Mitchell and left wing Alexei Ponikarovsky, but it was caused mostly by glaring defensive lapses.

The Kings’ current slump is of much greater concern because the problems run much deeper, as they have been guilty of shoddy efforts and a serious lack of attention to detail, with some players seemingly not dedicated to playing the Kings’ system and team game…

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